


The Forest

by Franklyn



Series: Bloodhound [1]
Category: Apex Legends (Video Games), The Forest (Video Game)
Genre: Airplane Crashes, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Animal Death, Bloodhound Headcanons (Apex Legends), Bloodhound's Face (Apex Legends), Cannibalism, Character Death, Dead People, Developing Friendships, Minor Wattson | Natalie Paquette/Wraith | Renee Blasey, Multi, Murder, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Revenant Being an Asshole (Apex Legends), Survival Horror, Whump, kind of, minor Loba Andrade/ Bloodhound (Apex Legends)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-14 00:21:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29287470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Franklyn/pseuds/Franklyn
Summary: [Canon divergence based on the Forest. If you’ve played that game, you know what to expect. If not, buckle up for horror, a lot of death, and cannibals]When the Legends’ ship crashes somewhere that isn’t Olympus, the survivors of the crash are thrown into a world of hunt or be hunted as they try to figure out a way back to the Apex Games.
Relationships: Horizon | Mary Somers & Mirage | Elliott Witt, Lifeline | Ajay Che & Octane | Octavio Silva, Loba Andrade/Bloodhound, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Wattson | Natalie Paquette/Wraith | Renee Blasey
Series: Bloodhound [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2190267
Comments: 17
Kudos: 40





	1. Something’s Out There

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings for this work include: Death, blood, murder, human experimentation, cannibalism, violence, and a whole lot of angst. 
> 
> If this is your thing, proceed and I hope you enjoy it. If not and you feel you may be uncomfortable or this might trigger or upset you, please don't read this.
> 
> I'll update the tags and notes accordingly if I miss something, but in the meantime, have a good day and enjoy!

Horizon couldn’t say truthfully what had happened in the past hour or so. She could take a guess. Oh, she could take several guesses- each one more unbelievable than the rest, but she could not say with one-hundred percent certainty the events that had transpired since boarding the Apex ship with her fellow Legends.

It had been a normal day, like everyone since joining the Apex Games, with Dr Mary Somers slipping into the role of Horizon and entering the ship that would drop her and her assigned team off at the Apex Arena. Said Arena being the entirety of her former home, Olympus.

But it hadn't been long since boarding the ship that they had begun to experience some bad turbulence. Nothing like Horizon had felt when escaping the dark heart of the universe, but still bad enough that she and the others had, had to find seats and remain in them for a good ten minutes or so before it all happened.

'It' being the crash. 

That was where things had gotten messy and Horizon had found herself disoriented. She thought she might've hit her head on something during the fall back to solid ground, but she had, had no time to check as not even a minute later and she felt the impact of the ship hitting the ground. Everything had faded into nothingness in no more than a millisecond. 

* * *

It was the distinct sound of nature uncommon to Olympus that woke Horizon an undetermined amount of time later. That's not to say there was no wildlife or any form of nature at all on Olympus, but there seemed to be less so the older Horizon got. Either way, she awoke to the sound of chirping birds and a running waterfall rather than the sound of gunfire and fighting she'd expected. There was a cold breeze on her back, icy and colder than she was used to on Olympus.

She brought a hand to her head in confusion, noting the way it pounded. Slowly, she managed to shuffle herself into a sitting position, eyes closed against the light she could feel on her eyelids. She pulled her goggles off, the way they were pressing into her already aching head making her uncomfortable.

Everything hurt. She couldn't remember what had happened since boarding the ship, but there must have been some kerfuffle because she could feel its effects on her suddenly weary body.

"Dr Somers, ya awake. How are ya feelin'?"

Horizon winced against the voice, recognising it as Lifeline. Though why they were suddenly using real names escaped Horizon.

She tested out her response in her head, wondering if she had the energy to form words right now. As she swallowed against her sandpaper throat, she felt Lifeline place a hand on her arm.

"I'm all right, darlin'," she went with, "What happened? Did we run into another squad?"

Somehow it had escaped Horizon before she spoke that Lifeline wasn't even on her team today. She thought maybe she should be worried now, but she didn't have the energy.

"Uh, why don't ya go on and open ya eyes, eh?" Lifeline suggested.

Horizon's head fell back against the wall behind her.

"My head hurts," she complained quietly.

"Ah, I think I got some pain killers here somewhere."

The sound of rustling caught Horizon's ears before it stopped and she felt Lifeline putting something into her hand free hand. 

"Go on and take a couple of those. They should help for now."

Horizon sighed put blindly pulled the cap off of the painkillers and retrieved two of the painkillers. She managed then to open her eyes a little, just enough to see the pills though her sight was distractingly blurry. Safe in the knowledge she wasn't being poisoned or something of the like, she tossed the pills into her mouth and swallowed.

One almost caught in her throat, but she managed to swallow it down successfully.

With her eyes now open fully and her vision slowly returning to normal, she looked around at her surroundings. Lifeline was knelt in front of her and she, herself, was sitting up against a wall. It was almost definitely the ship she and the others had boarded, to begin with, but the only difference now was the noticeable disappearance of the front of the ship.

Eyes wide and confusion deepening, Horizon rose to her feet with Lifeline following quickly, concern on her face.

"Hey, don't panic, we've sent a distress signal," Lifeline informed her.

"A distress signal?" Horizon repeated as she stared at the missing half of the ship and the unrecognisable landscape outside.

The ship had crashed. Where were they?

"Yeah. No need t' worry, eh?"

"Where are we?" Horizon asked.

”I’m not sure,” Lifeline admitted.

Horizon nodded. No need to worry, as Lifeline had said. Help was on the way and they would be back to the Apex Games as soon as possible.

Looking around the remains of the ship, she couldn’t see many of the others. The ones she could see looked to still be unconscious. 

“Where is everyone?” She questioned.

Lifeline’s face fell and she clasped her gloved hands in front of her. Suddenly nervous. Horizon frowned.

”Ajay?” All formalities were finally gone as Mary searched the ship for the remaining Legends.

Ajay sighed. Mary could see her swallowing, and she couldn’t help but do so herself.

“The crash...” Ajay started, “not all of us made it out unscathed. Some of the others- they didn’ make it.”

”Didn’t make it?” Mary repeated incredulously. “What do you mean?”

”Some of them died, Dr Somers.” 

“But they can’t have. They’re Apex Legends. They don’t just _die._ ”

”In the games, maybe, but they’re only human, Mary,” Ajay shook her head sadly. She looked just as broken as Mary felt. “We’re not immortal.”

”Who?”

”What?”

”Who died?”

Ajay sighed. Mary watched as she looked up at the missing ceiling and blinked away tears that must have burned before making eye contact again.

There was a moment of obvious hesitation from Ajay then she shook her head.

”We lost...” she faltered, “sorry. We lost Anita, Makoa, Octavio, Nox, Ramya, Park, Pathfinder, and Elliott.”

”Elliott is dead?” Mary murmured.

She and the Witt lad had become fast friends since she joined the Apex Games. He was lively and friendly if a bit awkward at times and- well, somehow he managed to remind Mary of her son, Newton.

Every day she missed her boy more and more, but Elliott’s friendship somehow managed to soothe that pain into a dull ache. 

“I’m sorry. I know ya were close,” Ajay looked down.

Mary shook her head.

”It’s okay. When our rescue ship arrives, we’ll take him and the others back to the Games and they’ll be fine in no time,” she said.

Ajay looked confused, “I don’t think-“

Before she could finish, something high pitched and unhuman pierced the air, startling the both of them out of their conversation.

Mary grabbed Ajay’s arm, startled, and Ajay shuffled backwards as if ready to bolt before seeming to ground herself and tensing.

”Ya heard that?” Ajay asked a minute later.

“Hard to miss, darlin,” Mary replied.

Slowly, she let go of Ajay and glanced around. 

“Why aren’t the others awake yet?” She changed the subject in an attempt to forget the scream that was now echoing ceaselessly in her mind. 

“Ah,” Ajay chuckled, “I’m pretty sure I saw you usin’ your gravity lift when we were crashin’.”

”I don’t remember that,” Mary said though it sounded like something she would have done, “dinnae remember much, actually.”

“Yeah. Smart move. Dangerous, though. D.O.C. found me after we crashed. He’s damaged, though so he wasn’t able to wake the others. I was patching them up when I saw ya waking,” Ajay explained.

Mary nodded and shuffled through scraps of metal and other debris to get to the other Legends. She found them near the back of the ship. They looked like they must have been moved as they all lay beside each other in a clear area of the floor. 

All sorts of medical equipment surrounded them and some of the Legends had been bandaged up, though some blood was now seeping through the white bandages. 

Mary counted the Legends, relieved to see not only her colleagues but her friends in decent shape. No damages that could hinder them or prevent them from moving around. They seemed to merely have a few cuts and bruises, and in Wraith’s case, a fairly big wound on her right arm though Mary couldn’t see what was actually hidden behind the bandage. 

She crept closer and knelt down beside Natalie, brushing some of her fringe away to see the bandage wrapped around her forehead.

”I see the Simulacrum survived,” she noted next.

”Yeah. They’ll all be okay, though,” Ajay joined her and continued her work of patching the Legend’s wounds up. 

Something caught Mary’s eye.

“Hound’s goggles are broken,” she pointed out.

Somehow the adrenaline of waking up in a crashed ship was wearing off and she now just felt exhausted. Her shoulders slouched and she swiped her hand across her face.

”I know, I couldn’t find any spare. Didn’t think they’d want me to remove them anyway,” Ajay said.

Shuffling closer, Mary carefully removed Bloodhound’s helmet and then manoeuvred their goggles off of their face. She brushed away small pieces of glass in the process, not wanting them to get it in their eyes when they woke.

”What’re ya doing?” Ajay asked. Her attention was drawn from Loba and her brows furrowed. 

Mary only glanced back at her then turned back to Hound as she took off her own goggles and began to put them on Hound instead.

She didn’t know what it was about Hound that made them hide their identity from everyone, but she would respect that choice and assist them without hesitation if they found themselves in such as situation as now where their goggles had broken.

She was just putting their helmet back on when something grabbed her arm and she let out an alarmed yell. 

“What are you doing, _andskoti_?”

Bloodhound’s grip on Mary’s arm was tight but not painful. Enough so that she couldn’t pull it away.

They had sat up now and belatedly, Mary realised she could see their eyes behind their borrowed goggles. The lenses weren’t as dark as on their own goggles and Mary was shocked to see a single red eye staring back at them. Their other eye was blue.

”Hey, Hound, she was just lendin’ ya her goggles. Yours are broken,” Ajay was beside Mary, holding up their broken goggles.

Bloodhound let go of Mary who nursed her arm with pursed lips. It didn’t hurt, but the shock of them waking up and grabbing her lingered.

They took their goggles from Ajay and examined them. They ran their gloved hand over the broken lenses and sighed, the noise garbled through their respirator.

”Thank you,” they turned their attention to Mary, “I apologise if I hurt you, you merely startled me.”

”Och, ya didn’t hurt me, love,” Mary waved them off, “but how are you feelin’?”

”I am confused. Was our ship shot down?”

Bloodhound rose from the floor and approached the open area where the front of the ship should have been. Mary watched their shoulders rise and fall as they stared out at the forest their ship seemed to have crashed in. 

“What do ya mean, shot down?” Ajay asked. 

“You did not see it?” Bloodhound turned their head as Ajay and Mary joined them.

”No. What did ya see, Hound?”

”It was as we were experiencing some turbulence. I saw something quickly approaching our ship and then we began to fall,” Bloodhound revealed.

”What was it?” Mary asked.

”I am not sure how I can explain it,” Bloodhound sighed once again.

”Ah well, never mind,” Ajay shrugged, “help will be here soon and we can return to the Games and forget any of this ever happened, eh?”

”How long till our rescue arrives, anyway?” Mary leant against the wall of the ship.

”A day at the most,” Ajay said. “The signal out here ain’t so great, but I managed to send a distress signal before it cut out. I haven’t been able to get into contact since then.”

”Suppose we should just stay here till they arrive, then,” Mary tapped her foot, the mere idea of remaining in one place for so long horrifying to her. 

“I do not think that is a good idea, _félagi_ fighters,” Bloodhound shook their head.

Mary watched as they stepped out of the ship and crouched down to examine the plant life.

”Why not?” Ajay asked.

”Have you left the ship?” Bloodhound returned a question.

”No, I stayed inside the patch everybody up,” Ajay replied.

”I only woke up recently,” Mary added.

”Somebody else was here,” Bloodhound stated.

Ajay and Mary shared a look as the latter pushed away from the wall. 

“Recently,” Bloodhound continued, “a few minutes ago perhaps.”

“A few minutes ago?” Mary’s eyes widened marginally.

”We heard a scream,” Ajay revealed. “Not long ago, but we ignored it.”

Hound stopped examining the grass and looked up at Ajay and Mary. 

“I believe we are being watched. We must relocate.”


	2. Temporary Shelter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning in this chapter for mentions of major character deaths.
> 
> [I don’t know why, but the fact that Pathfinder thought Bloodhound didn’t like him made me sad]
> 
> Area of forest based on where my friend and I have our ‘base’. You can find it in the bottom right part of the map.

Mary straightened up at Bloodhound’s words and glanced around the scenery outside, her eyes wide and mind alert. Unlike some of the other Legends such as Anita, Mary had never been trained with a weapon until the Apex Games.

Well, of course she hadn’t, she was a scientist not a mercenary.

However, after joining the Apex Games and being trained by Bloodhound and Pathfinder, Mary’s keen eye had only sharpened and spotting bampots was something of a specialty these days.

That was why she was able to see the _thing_ lurking between the trees a way aways not even a minute later. She hadn’t the slightest idea what it was (if it was even human), but whatever it was, it looked unfriendly and she knew making any sudden movements might let it know that it had been spotted. If it didn’t already know.

“Now, I dinnae want to alarm you lot, but there’s something watching us in the distance,” Mary kept the thing in her peripheral as she carefully addressed Ajay and Bloodhound.

“I have seen it,” Bloodhound confirmed quietly. They kept their attention on the grass beneath their hand.

”Where?” Ajay asked.

”One o’clock,” Mary informed her.

Ajay was subtle about scoping out the creature but when she had spotted it, she nodded and turned away.

”There are two,” Bloodhound said.

Mary’s heart missed a beat.

”Two? Where?” Mary questioned.

”There is a second to our left. Hiding behind one of the trees. We are safe for the moment.”

”Do we need to defend ourselves? Do we even have any weapons?” Mary ran a hand over her face.

“Nothing other than the emergency axe,” Ajay replied, a hint of worry in her voice that was almost covered by her optimism, “I used it to get to the medical supplies. The cabinet was locked.”

Reaching for her hip, she unhooked the axe that Mary had missed as it had been almost covered by her other supplies. She held it out in offer.

“Ya good with an axe, right, Hound?” She said to Bloodhound.

They finally rose to their full height and turned to Ajay. Their head tilted just slightly to the left. Mary would have almost thought it was confusion if she knee Bloodhound better.

”You want me to take it?” They asked Ajay.

”Yeah. You’re much better with an axe than me. Rifles are my specialty,” Ajay chuckled.

”I cannot leave you defenceless,” Bloodhound replied, holding up a hand and shaking their head. 

“C’mon now. Take it,” Ajay insisted.

With some sort of unimpressed grunt, Bloodhound reluctantly took the emergency axe from Ajay and held it up to examine it. They twirled it round expertly then holstered it to their hip, much like Ajay had once had it.

They nodded their thanks to Ajay then moved passed her to the back of the ship where the other Legends were.

Mary followed and helped Ajay check them all over.

”We must leave here before our enemies close in on us. We are still unsafe,” Bloodhound told them from where they’d disappeared into the back area of the ship. 

Mary remembered their suggestion that they relocate somewhere safer while they wait for help, but she was unsure they’d get far with those things out there waiting.

“We’re in the middle of nowhere, darlin’, where do you propose we go?” Mary asked.

Bloodhound reappeared in front of her and Mary looked up. They looked a little intimidating, Mary thought.

”We can built shelter not far from here. As long as we are out of sight of our enemies, we should be safe,” they answered.

They crouched down and revealed a bottle. Mary frowned as they unscrewed it and sniffed it. They made a disgruntled noise before placing the bottle under Renee’s nose. Mary quickly caught on.

”Is that alcohol?” She asked, unimpressed.

”Indeed. If we are to relocate, we must do so now. We cannot leave the others here to fall prey to our enemies.”

With a sigh, Mary fetched another bottle of alcohol and joined Bloodhound in waving it under her colleagues’ noses.

It took longer than anticipated to wake the Legends from their unconscious slumber, but when they were all finally awake and the situation had been explained to them, they all began to gather any necessary items such as food and any bottles of water that had survived the crash.

Loba managed to find her staff among the debris but was disgruntled it was scratched. Renee found a backpack and shoved a load of food and water in it as well as a blanket.

It soon turned out that Natalie’s ankle was sprained, so Ajay helped her to a seat and wrapped it up carefully. She informed her that D.O.C. was damaged and until he was fixed, they would have to do things the old fashioned way.

”What about Revenant?” Mary asked around ten minutes later when they were preparing to leave, but no one had woken the Simulacrum.

”What about the _demonio_? I say we leave him here,” Loba huffed.

”I do not believe it is fair to leave him to the fate of those monsters,” Bloodhound said.

”Even if he’s also a monster?” Renee muttered. It seemed she was on Loba’s side.

”I don’t know much about repairing Simulacrums,” Ajay added.

“We should take him with us and see if we are able to wake him once we are safe,” Bloodhound suggested.

”Whatever,” Renee shrugged, “it’s your funeral.”

”I believe it will be our funeral,” Natalie joked.

”Ajay, will you assist me in carrying him?” Bloodhound request.

”Sure, but I’m not happy lugging him around,” Ajay sighed.

”I am not either, but we cannot leave one of our own behind,” Bloodhound told her.

There was a scoff from one of the other Legends at the statement, most likely Loba, but Bloodhound ignored as they and Ajay shuffled Revenant into a standing position.

Bloodhound slung one of his metallic arms over their shoulders and Ajay followed suit.

”Huh, somehow I expected him to be heavier,” Ajay said in an attempt to alleviate the mood. 

No one replied, but there was no need as they all trudged to the opening of the ship. They took a moment to search for their predators, searching the treelines and the immediate area for any silhouettes.

While neither of the Legends were able to see anyone, they still knew it was too dangerous to remain at the ship when they’d already been found.

They were probably lucky that they hadn’t been attacked already with the ruckus they must’ve caused during the crash. 

“What about the others?” Mary asked, glancing back at the ship.

She didn’t know where the others were, but she felt wrong leaving their fallen friends on the ship. Even if it was just until help arrived. 

“We can’t take them all with us,” Renee said solemnly.

She’d been in just as must shock as Mary when given the news of the fate the others had met in the crash. She was also close to Elliott as the two had been best friends, and Mary had held her when giving the news. The woman hadn’t cried, though the lost look on her face remained even now.

Mary watched as Natalie’s head bowed and she looked back over her shoulder before shaking her head.

”Let’s just get out of here,” Loba said.

She was the first out of the ship and striding across the field towards the beach a few miles away from the shipwreck.

The others shared a look then began to follow her. It was safer to trudge along the beach than go get lost in the forest with no way of knowing which way was North and which was South.

It took them around ten minutes to get the beach and by the time they did, Mary noticed that the sun was beginning to set. It was still high in the sky, but in a few hours it would start to get dark which meant they really needed to find shelter and fast.

She jogged a little to catch up to the other Legends.

* * *

It had been hours of nonstop walking before Bloodhound finally decided on a safe enough area for them to stay in. The area was on a cliff somewhere in the edge of the forest, still near the beach with easy access should they need to make a quick retreat yet the place was still tightly packed with trees that should hopefully hide them from the things watching them. 

Bloodhound and Ajay were relieved to finally rest Revenant against one of the trees and free themselves of carrying him. Natalie settled down against another tree, finally giving her ankle some rest. Renee joined her.

”Och, I’m exhausted,” Mary sighed.

”We must not rest,” Bloodhound clenched a fist. 

“Not even for a little while, beautiful?” Loba chipped in from where she leant against one of the many trees.

A pause.

”No,” Bloodhound finally answered, “it is quickly getting dark. We are not safe at night. We do not know what those creatures are or if they pose a threat to us. Therefore we must build shelter and keep our guards up.”

”Build shelter?” Renee asked sceptically.

”Yes,” Bloodhound said, “I know how to build a temporary shelter that will blend in with our surroundings. We should be safe until the sun rises again.”

”How can we know we’ll be safe all through the night?” Mary added after consideration. 

Bloodhound was now wandering around the area of the forest they’d stopped in, picking up sticks and, surprisingly, gathering handfuls of leaves.

”We may take turns keeping watch. With any sign of our enemy, we shall wake the others,” they decided.

Deciding it was the best they could do given the circumstances, Mary nodded and pushed away from the tree she’d rested on.

Thankfully, after a couple of hours her head had stopped pounding thanks to Ajay’s painkillers. Her memories of the crash were also beginning to come back to her in bits and pieces.

She remembered boarding the ship and the turbulence the others had mentioned. She also had a brief memory of using her gravity lift as Ajay had said, but it was messy and blurry so she didn’t know whether it had been a success or not. 

Still, there was no changing what had happened or the circumstances she now found herself in so she approached Bloodhound and offered her help. 

By the time she, Bloodhound, and Ajay had finished setting up some temporary shelters for herself and the others, the sky was well and truly dark. She only counted herself lucky that Renee just so happened to have a lighter on her person and was able to guide them in putting up the last shelter.

To Mary’s surprise, putting together four small shelters was actually a lot more taxing than she would have originally given it credit for. Especially when Bloodhound began securing them with vines to make sure they didn’t fall down in the night.

She was less so surprised that Bloodhound even knew how to set up temporary shelters with such expertise. It came with being the Outland’s best game hunter, she supposed.

With the shelters all set up, Mary watched as Renee helped Natalie over to one and sat her down in a more comfortable place. Her leg was still throbbing and causing her pain, Mary last overheard Natalie telling Ajay.

“I shall take first shift,” Bloodhound told Ajay and Loba.

Mary’s eyes followed Ajay and Loba as they decided to share one of the shelters. The remaining two shelters were slightly smaller than the others, Mary noticed.

She shuffled over to Bloodhound, intending to offer to help them keep watch but they shook their head before she had even opened her mouth.

”You need rest,” they told her, “do not worry. I will make sure you are all safe.”

“I dinnae mind, darlin,” she told them.

“Please. Rest.”

Mary sighed, mildly frustrated at their stubbornness and slightly worried for their safety while she and the others were asleep, but relented all the same.

With her final burst of energy she chose one of the shelters and climbed inside. She could see some of the stars through the gaps in the leaves, she realised.

Her heart ached and her throat burned as she closed her eyes.

* * *

The night was dragging. It felt like trying to run in the ocean, the water pushing forcefully at their hips. They didn’t know how long they’d been keeping watch. A couple of hours, perhaps.

Bloodhound pressed their lips into a thin line as they examined their surroundings. The most they had seen so far was a few rabbits and lizards. A bird or two, as well. There has been no sign of the creatures who’d been watching them hours earlier.

For that, they were relieved.

They examined the axe Ajay had given them. It was true that they were exceptionally skilled with an axe, being a hunter, but it still didn’t feel right to leave their fellow Legends defenceless.

They sighed just as their stomach cramped.

A frown marred their features. They would need to find food soon lest they all starve waiting for their rescue ship to arrive. They would need their energy, too, when the sun rose.

They cast another glance around. Hours had passed since their last sighting of the things watching them. And their _félagi_ fighters wouldn’t wake for a while yet as the moon was still high. They would need to eat when they woke.

Deciding to search the area for anymore rabbits or other small creature, Bloodhound rose from where they sat keeping watch and began to quietly hunt the area.


	3. Predator and Prey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Legends’ first encounter with the experiments.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for blood, murder, some injury detail, and brief nudity mention

Bloodhound crouched low in the bush they’d concealed themselves in, barely daring to breathe let alone move. Even the smallest movement could give their position away to their prey. 

The axe Ajay had given them was tightly gripped in their right hand, held slightly aloft so they could see it in their peripheral.

A small movement to their right caught their attention and they moved their eyes to search for the source. They easily spotted the rabbit hopping along through the grass. 

Though it was only a small creature and wouldn’t be enough to feed themselves and the other Legends, it was something. They could find some more rabbits, perhaps even some larger animals like deer or a boar.

It would be a lot easier during the day when they could see all of the forest more clearly in the daylight, but they weren’t called the Outlands’ best game hunter for nothing. They just had to have patience. The others were counting on them.

The rabbit they had been watching hopped towards one of the trees ahead of them and stopped. Its nose twitched and it pulled a leaf out of the ground to eat it.

Bloodhound took this opportunity to raise the axe a little higher and then throw it. It sailed through the air with a quiet whistle and then hit its mark with a wet slashing sound. The rabbit squeaked in alarm but it was dead before it could even process what had happened.

Satisfied, Bloodhound rose from their place hidden in the foliage and wandered over to retrieve their kill.

They held the rabbit up by its hind legs and examined it. It was a little bigger than average and they could tell by its weight that it had more meat on it than normal. It was a good _drepa._

Walking back to where they had previously been watching, hidden by thick plants, they wiped the blood from the axe on their clothes.

As they crouched back down in the foliage, waiting for more prey, they heard something. Their ears perked up and they stilled, holding their breath. Their grip tightened on the axe as they barely dared to move.

The noise was high pitched and... _óstöðug._ It sounded like it was coming from behind them. Bloodhound clenched their jaw and slowly placed their kill on the ground. They cursed the plants for rustling as they did so.

Carefully, they rose to their full height and turned around to examine the trees behind them. They searched quickly with their eyes, looking for the source of the noise. They almost missed it when they did.

Stood menacingly by one of the trees, they noticed the same figure that had been watching them back at the ship. But there had been two then, so where was the other?

Bloodhound weighed the axe in their hand, trying to decide their options. They were an Apex Legend and fought in the Outlands’ most popular bloodsport almost every day. They _slatrá_ every day. They could most likely survive against this creature.

But they didn’t know their enemy. Was it human? Did it also known how to fight? Its cries sounded unhinged, and an unstable enemy was a dangerous one. They were always up for a challenge, they had faced bigger beasts, but they knew they couldn’t _slatrá_ today.

Bloodhound quickly found the cons outweighing the pros, and they grunted quietly to themselves. They would need to leave this fight for now. Until the others awoke and they could face their enemy together.

Deciding to leave the rabbit until the morning, Bloodhound backed up and pivoted on the spot to escape through the trees back to the other Legends. 

Just as they took their first step in the opposite direction, something scrambled its way into their line of sight. Bloodhound’s breath hitched in surprise, having been so focused on the creature hiding between the trees, they hadn’t noticed this one.

Up close, Bloodhound was sickened to realise that the creatures looked humanoid in nature. It had no hair on its head, and it was as pale as milk, but the white markings on its face showed up clearly. 

To Bloodhound’s surprise, the creature was half naked. They wore nothing but a hand made necklace of animal canines on its top half and deer skin on their lower half to cover its more private area.

The creature- person they reminded themselves- was almost definitely starving as its ribs and other bones showed up prominently. The hunger in its crazed eyes was another give away to its starvation.

Under its gaze, Bloodhound felt, for the first time, small. Like an ant crawling through long grass, no end in sight.

In the ten seconds they stared at each other and Bloodhound managed to take in its appearance, the creature had thrown itself messily at them. There was no coordination to their predator’s attack and so Bloodhound merely lifted their axe and slashed at the air in hopes they would hit their enemy.

By the grace of the Allfather, their attack landed and they caught their enemy’s collar. Blood was drawn and the creature cried out, its voice high pitched and alarmed. The shock registered on its face as it touched the wound and looked at the blood.

Then it licked the blood from its already dirty hands and lunged for Bloodhound again.

This time, however, they were ready and they swung their axe at the creature, landing a solid hit to its head. The resounding crack was deafening as it cracked the creature’s skull, and echoed through the surrounding trees, sending birds and other small creature hurrying away to a safer location. 

The creature cried out but, like the rabbit, their death was too quick for them to do anything else but yell and fall to the floor.

Bloodhound panted, but they knew their fight wasn’t over just yet.

They turned, their second predator’s footfall too loud to ignore, and swung their axe again. The creature threw itself to the right, barely missing the blade of Bloodhound’s weapon, but falling in the process.

As it scrambled up, Bloodhound was dismayed to find more similar creatures gathering. The commotion, they guessed, must have drawn their attention. Looking around, they counted at least seven creatures in total. All similar in appearance, all with that same crazed look in their eyes. 

Swallowing, their throat dry, Bloodhound knew they were outmatched. They could easily take all of the creatures if they were by themselves, but seven of them altogether... They needed an escape.

” _Allfather, bjarga mér_ ,” they breathed a prayer.

Clenching their fist around the axe, they turned on the spot and made to leave only to come face to face with another of the creatures. This one differed slightly to the others only in the fact that it carried its own weapon, some kind of club made with a humanoid skull, and it wore another skull on a stick attached to its back.

They drank in its appearance, how it differed to the other gathering creatures, and deduced that it must be some form of leader. Perhaps the strongest of them all hence the club and the totem on its back.

The creature grunted and advanced forward. The others took that as their cue and copied. Soon enough, Bloodhound was surrounded by them all, trapped.

They held tight to their axe, thanking Ajay Che all the while for making them take it. They watched the creatures carefully as they crept closer menacingly, waiting for one of them to slip up so they could take the chance to escape.

But, intentionally or not, the creatures kept themselves close together as they advanced. Bloodhound was well and truly trapped.

But then, by the Allfather’s grace, a familiar _caw_ sounded loudly overhead.

Bloodhound’s eyes widened and they looked up as their predators startled and cried in shock. To their relief, they spotted a beautiful black raven flying in circles above, only just visible by its silky sheen in the moonlight.

Artur. 

“Artur, _fáðu hjálp_ ,” Bloodhound shouted to their companion.

_Caw_

Artur flew off in search of the other Legends, leaving Bloodhound alone. They tore their eyes reluctantly from the sky to face the creatures.

They only had a second before the creatures threw themselves at them.

* * *

Loba was rudely awoken after what felt like only five minutes rest by the incessant screeching of a bird. She groaned, recognising the cawing, and covered her head in the hopes of blocking out the noise and going back to sleep.

Being awoken by the same bird back at the Apex compound every few days was already enough. She didn’t need it now.

A quick peek at the sky through the ‘roof’ of her shelter revealed to her that it was still night, the sky outside pitch black.

”Och, where is that noise _coming_ from?”

Loba groaned once more and buried her face into her arms. The bird had awoken the others too, it seemed. She just wanted to sleep before the rescue ship arrived in the morning.

”Can you tell your bird to be quiet for five minutes, beautiful?” She requested tiredly of Bloodhound. She didn’t lift her head from its perch on her arm.

The screeching continued. Loba clenched her teeth and covered her ears. Did the creature not get _tired_?

” _Hound,_ ” Renee’s exhausted voice came from the tent beside Loba’s.

Unease settled into the pit of Loba’s stomach and she opened her eyes. Slowly, she crawled out of her shelter and out into the open forest. She staggered to her feet, her body stiff from how she’d been sleeping. 

She glanced around and realised unable to see Bloodhound anywhere. Worry struck her as she peered around, hoping to see them behind one of the surrounding trees. Perhaps they’d gotten tired and fallen asleep whilst keeping watch.

”Hound?” She called out.

The sound of rustling leaves made its way to her ears and she turned around hopefully, only to see the others leaving their shelters. She watched with pursed lips as Renee helped Natalie to her feet. The latter hobbled a bit as she gained her footing. Her ankle was still injured.

”What’s going on?” Renee was the first to question.

”Bloodhound is gone,” Loba told her. She glanced up to where Artur was still circling the sky, cawing. “But Artur is still here.”

”They wouldn’t leave their bird, would they?” Natalie inquired, but the Legends all knew it was less of a question and more a statement. 

“Do you think those creatures got them?” Mary asked.

“If they have, we need to save them. We can’t afford to lose anyone else,” Loba stated.

”But we don’t even know what they are. What we’re up against,” Renee reminded her.

”It doesn’t matter,” Loba growled, “they’re our friend. They risked their life tonight to keep watch, the least we can do is save their ass.”

”Aye, you’re right, love,” Mary nodded, “we have to find them.”

”Thank you,” Loba nodded.

”Count me in,” Ajay added.

”Fine,” Renee sighed, “God knows they’ve saved me in the Games more than I’d like to admit.”

”It’s settled then. Let’s go,” Loba ordered.

She took a step in a random direction, hoping she was going the right way. Unlike Bloodhound, she was no hunter. She couldn’t look at a perfectly normal-looking ground and say with certainty which way her enemy had gone. 

It was because of this, she was thankful when Artur swooped down from the sky and flew passed her in the same direction she’d been heading.

She removed her staff from her waist and extended it to its full length.

“Follow the bird.”

...

She and the other Legends ran for almost ten minutes in the same direction, following the bird. He was almost hard to see in the dark and if it weren’t for his continuous crying, they might’ve gotten lost on his trail.

When they finally reached their location, Loba almost retched. The stench of blood was one of the first things she was made aware of, and following this, as she stepped through to a clearing, she saw a circle of the same creatures that had followed them through the forest after they’d relocated. 

What they were doing, Loba didn’t know. But they were screeching and laughing, and making all sorts of manic noises. There was too much movement going on and there were so many of them.

Artur flew passed, his wings almost brushing Loba’s head, and dove at the creatures. They cried out in alarm and in that moment, Loba saw what had captured their interest so much.

In the centre of the creatures was Bloodhound. They were on the ground. To Loba’s relief, they were moving. Fighting. But their movements were too sloppy and uncoordinated. They were injured.

And-

Loba’s eyes widened.

They were maskless. Their gear was torn where the creatures had grabbed and tugged, and clawed at them, and somewhere along the way, however long it had been, they’d lost their mask. Or the creatures had taken it off to better reach their flesh.

Loba’s grip on her staff tightened and she narrowed her eyes. She turned her head a little and caught Renee’s eyes. A nod was shared.

As Loba threw her bracelet into the centre of the creatures where Bloodhound was, she saw Renee phase out of existence.

When Loba reappeared in the centre of the gathered creatures, she aimed her staff at the first she saw. It impaled the creature satisfyingly beneath the collar, making a squelching sound as she pulled it back out. A well placed kick sent the startled creature to the floor.

Renee phased in where the creature had been and kicked it in the stomach. 

Now that the creatures were aware of what was going on, they began to fight back. Loba fought well, keeping the creatures away from Bloodhound. She glanced down at them and cursed at their unmoving form.

”Ajay!” She shouted then grunted when one of the creatures threw itself at her.

She span around, abandoning her current opponent, and swung her staff at the head of the one who’d attacked her from behind.

”On it!” Ajay responded.

A scream caught Loba’s ears suddenly and she whirled around, tearing her eyes from the sight of Ajay making her way to Bloodhound, and watched, surprised, as Natalie threw herself onto the back of one of the creatures.

They were too close to Loba for comfort and she realised that Natalie had been protecting her.

Hooking her good leg, Natalie scrambled to get the creature to the floor.

”Beautifully done,” Loba smirked.

Natalie chuckled, “you’re welcome, Loba.”

Loba slammed her staff down into the pinned creature’s back, piercing its lung. The creature sputtered and cried, then choked on blood.

”A little help here?” Renee phased in front of Loba and Natalie. She stumbled and fell to her knees.

Natalie was quick to help her up, reversing their roles from earlier when Renee had, had to help the former.

”My phase runner is broken from the crash. I can’t keep phasing,” Renee panted, giving her device a frustrated whack.

”Don’t worry. There’s only two of those monsters left. Stick together and we can take them,” Loba told Renee and Natalie.

”You might want to hurry, dears. Hound here is lookin’ a mite peaky,” Mary piped up. She was knelt beside Ajay, assisting in helping Bloodhound. 

Breathing out through her nose, Loba twirled her staff and swung at one of the creatures. It cried out and fell to the floor but scrambled back up just as quickly as it had gone down.

Loba growled and swung again, and again, and again until eventually, the _demonio_ didn’t get back up. For good measure, she pierced the centre of its chest with the bottom of her staff. She twisted it and pulled it back out, huffing. 

“You got blood on my staff,” she grunted, looking at her bloodied staff. There was blood on her hands too.

”Loba, hurry, we have to help Bloodhound,” Natalie drew Loba’s attention.

She searched for the blonde woman and found her and Renee now knelt by Bloodhound. She glanced back behind her and noticed the other creature was also dead.

“Does anyone have their mask?” Loba asked, approaching the others.

“I got it, but it ain’t a good idea to put it back on when they’re bleedin’,” Ajay said.

”Their goggles are broken again,” Mary added, looking dejectedly at the goggles she’d given Hound, “the strap is snapped.”

”We can fix them later. Until then, let’s figure out where they’re bleeding from and stop it,” Ajay ordered.

With determination, Ajay pulled her surgical gloves on and lifted her mask to cover her mouth and nose.

Loba breathed out, suddenly nervous, and knelt down in between Mary and Natalie. She reached forward and took one of Bloodhound’s hands.


End file.
